Danny turned the hallway corner and encountered a now familiar and unwelcome sight – Lindsay and Flack together in the break room. Both were having their morning coffee, sitting at the table with Flack's arm slung companionably around Lindsay's chair. Danny told himself there was nothing wrong with this picture. It was totally normal for two people to chit-chat. Shoot the shit. Gossip over the water cooler. Whatever it was that co-workers did.

And it didn't matter that yesterday Lindsay and Flack had been in a similar position sharing lunch. They tried convincing him to sample some Thai food from the new place down the street, but he hadn't been hungry. Danny attributed his lack of appetite to his dislike of pad thai and not the way Flack and Lindsay were suddenly so… comfortable around each other.

He reminded himself that he absolutely did not care that over the past two weeks he, more and more frequently, found Flack and Lindsay walking down the halls together. More specifically walking down the halls giggling. He made a mental note to tell Flack that giggling didn't really suit him.

As he watched Lindsay and Flack, ignoring the slightly green tinge coloring his vision, Lindsay looked up and saw him. Her cheeks were flushed and had that pretty color to them that was usually the result of a hearty laugh. Danny ignored the unreasonable anger that forced his hands into fists at his sides. He ignored the fact that Flack had caused that glow or that he struggled to remember the last time he and Lindsay had laughed like that. But ever since Ruben's death he wasn't in the mood for laughing. He wasn't in the mood for much of anythingl except wallowing in his guilt. Lindsay smiled and gave him a little wave, gesturing for him to join them.

"Hey," Flack said as Danny walked into the room. He stood up and gave Danny a slap on the back as he threw out his empty coffee cup. "I didn't know you had the morning shift. I didn't expect to see you until this afternoon."

"Obviously," Danny muttered under his breath.

"What?" Flack gave Danny a confused look, unsure if he'd heard him correctly.

"Mac changed the schedule yesterday," Danny answered with a hint of irritability in his voice.

Flack's brows creased together, puzzled over Danny's strange mood. "Well, I gotta run. Stay away from that hovercrack, alright Linds?" Lindsay burst out in laughter.

Hovercrack? Danny had no idea what that was or why it was so hysterically funny. Great, he thought, now they have inside jokes. Not that he cared. He did take issue with the way Flack gave Lindsay's shoulder a quick squeeze as he walked out of the room, and bit his tongue to stop himself from telling Flack to keep his hands off Lindsay.

"Have a seat," Lindsay said, patting the stool next to her.

"No thanks, I have a lot of work to do." Danny didn't exactly feel like having a seat after coming across Flack hanging all over Lindsay and Lindsay seemingly enjoying it.

"Maybe we can meet up for lunch?" Lindsay asked hopefully. Ever since Ruben's death they hadn't spent much time together – Danny choosing the solace of his apartment and work over her. He had asked for space - he didn't do well with pity or being smothered. So Lindsay had obliged, struggling to find the right balance between being a good friend, girlfriend, and partner.

"Yeah, sure," he replied noncommittally. Lunch sounded good as long as Flack was nowhere to be found, which was not likely the way the past two weeks had been going.

Danny stepped into the elevator, surprised. Not that Flack was riding in it but that he was without Lindsay.

"How's your case with Lindsay going?" Danny asked, making conversation though he didn't really feel like talking to anyone.

"Lindsay's not on this one. I'm working with Hawkes."

So how come you're always with her Danny wanted to ask, but instead said, "You really like Lindsay, huh?"

"What's not to like?" Flack asked, oblivious to the resentment in Danny's question. "She's smart, funny, easy to talk to, great laugh…"

"She's mine," Danny interrupted Flack's litany. Lindsay was his and that was that. In case there was any confusion.

Flack momentarily froze, his coffee cup halted mid-air toward his mouth, totally confused at Danny's declaration. But slowly the picture became clear to him. Danny thought the he was making a move on Lindsay. For a second he considered egging Danny on but instead took sympathy on his friend who was still mourning for Ruben.

"Who are you trying to convince, me or you?"

Danny ignored the insight in Flack's question that hit too close to home and remained defiant. "I'm just saying, it seems everywhere I look you are trying to snuggle up to Lindsay."

Flack had to stop from spitting out the coffee he'd just sipped. Did Danny just say snuggle?

"In the first place, I was not snuggling up to anyone. And secondly, it's none of your business what I do and whom I do it with."

Flack knew he had been spending a lot of time with Lindsay recently. But it was all innocent and Danny should know better than to think otherwise. He and Lindsay were finding out that they had a lot in common and it was not every day you found someone who shared your hate of Laughing Larry. Childhood trauma like that could really bond people. And what Danny didn't know is that a lot of their conversations centered on him. Ruben's death had made Danny distance himself from everyone the past couple weeks, especially Lindsay, and she had sought his advice on how to deal with it. She wasn't good at this sort of thing, she had revealed.

Flack knew this conversation could go one of two ways. Danny could realize how ridiculous he was acting or he could let his temper get the best of him with both he and Flack ending up doing and saying things they would regret later.

Deciding to not leave the choice up to Danny, Flack said, "You might be better off thinking about why you're not giving the woman who you claim is yours enough credit to know you. You're making a decision for her to not let her help you through this. You should be talking to Lindsay instead of picking a fight with me.." With that the elevator reached the ground floor and Flack stepped out.

Jamming his hands into his pockets and exhaling a long breath Danny knew that Flack was right. "Fighting with you is easier," Danny said aloud to no one and let the elevator doors close on him.

Lindsay walked into her apartment, surprised to find Danny sitting on her living room couch. He had a key to her place but when they ended up not meeting for lunch - too busy Danny had said - she figured he'd be 'too busy' the rest of the day to spend any time with her.

"Hey," she said, "What are you doing here?" He had only turned on one small lamp so the room was mostly dark and Danny sat in shadows.

"We don't have any inside jokes," Danny said matter-of-factly.

"What?" Lindsay asked, dropping her bags and coat, making her way to the couch and sitting next to him.

"You and me, we don't have any inside jokes." Danny inhaled Lindsay's fruity scent. She wore the same perfume everyday but he felt like he hadn't smelled it in ages.

"Danny, what are you talking about?"

"You and Flack have hovercrack. But you and me have nothing."

Lindsay wasn't exactly sure where this conversation had come from or where it was headed but an unusual meal with Danny a long time ago immediately popped into her mind.

"Yes we do," she said softly. "We'll always have eating bugs."

Danny smiled at the memory of Lindsay eagerly eating fried spiders, costing him five bucks in the process.

"I almost forgot about that."

"Yeah," Lindsay whispered but Danny heard the sadness in her voice loud and clear. Ever since his encounter with Flack on the elevator he realized how much he'd forgotten the past couple of weeks. Somehow he'd forgotten the undeniable spark between them. It had been impossible to ignore ever since he'd first saw her at the zoo – but Ruben's death and his way of dealing had made him lose sight of what it was like between him and Lindsay. What it could be like between them. In a year. Ten years.

"I'm sorry, Lindsay, if I was a jerk and pushed you away. I guess I was just trying to protect you from the way I can be sometimes. I can be moody and not always a pleasant guy to be around." "What mood are you in now?" Lindsay asked, happy and relieved that Danny was finally opening up to her. But she tried not to smother him with the concern that he detested so much.

"I'm in a perfect mood," he said as he pulled Lindsay onto his lap and covered her mouth with his. He forgot how perfectly they fit together.

Lindsay momentarily broke contact. "If I didn't know better, Messer, I'd say that that you were jealous of Flack."

"I don't get jealous," Danny refuted, nipping at her bottom lip with his teeth.

"Just an observation," Lindsay said as she placed light kisses on his lips and down his neck.

"Then I suggest you get your eyes checked." Danny was mimicking her actions.

Missed you, Danny muttered. Or maybe he only thought it. As their kisses and touches became deeper and more urgent, Danny lifted Lindsay off the couch and carried her to the bedroom. "Let's see what kind of mood we make now, Montana."

A/N: I couldn't tell if Lindsay said hovercrack or hovercrap in the episode. I went with hovercrack because I thought it was funnier. Thanks for reading! Thanks to mel60 who beta'd this!